Porter-Cable is joining the 12V party with a new line of 12 Volt MAX Lithium-ion tools. The new reduced-size tools will begin showing up at Lowe’s and other dealers around the end of October. Presumably these tools will be very similar in nature to DeWalt’s new 12V Max Line, with batteries located within a reduced-size sled, rather than integrated into the handle like Bosch 12V tools, Milwaukee’s M12 and others.
The new line will include a 12V Compact Drill/Driver, 12V Impact Driver, and even a 12V Compact Reciprocating Saw (which will be unique, unless it resembles the one-handed 12V Milwaukee HackZall or its 18V Hackzall counterpart.) All of these new tools are designed to be ergonomic and allow contractors and homeowners to use the tools for tasks that might not demand the power of a full 18V system.
During a recent demonstration, Porter Cable outlined some snippets of the new tools:
- The drill/drivers will feature a single-sleeve chuck designed for easy, one-handed bit placement
- A unique clamping shoe will hold smaller-diameter pipes for faster cuts
- The triggers will be variable speed
- The entire line features LED work lights
Pricing is designed to be competitive and indeed, Porter Cable seems to be largely geared (lately) towards the prosumer, with DeWalt taking up the more professional tradesman market. The new 12V Drill/Driver will priced at around $89, $70 less then its 18-volt Lithium counterpart.
It will be interesting to see how these tools differ from the upcoming lineup from DeWalt and we’re also anxious to see how a 12V reciprocating saw does int he market for consumers and those looking for a lighter tool to accomplish simpler cutting tasks (for this it’s going to be hard to beat Milwaukee’s new single-handed HackZall solutions). We’ll roll out more details as we get them.
